Photo © Eurobike

Eurobike, Europe’s largest bike industry show, is currently taking place in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Following are a few reports that are starting to trickle out:

• VeloVision
• Road Bike Action
• Just Riding Along
• Velo News
• Bike Hugger
• Bike Radar

BlueVelo is gearing up to release their new TEAM velomobile this Fall:

And it can be yours for a paltry $7,450 CDN. ;-) It looks like a sweet machine…

Visit the BlueVelo website →

[via 'Bentrider Online]

Photo © Tyler Neff

Urban Velo #9 hit the streets today.

Visit their download page →

Gold Country Cyclery just took delivery of the new Stratus LE XL with 700C rear wheel. From the Gold Country Blog:

In my opinion, the Stratus LE is one of the best all-around recumbents on the market and a super value. The 700C rear wheel puts it head-to-head with the Tour Easy.

Gold Country Cyclery →

What we already knew intuitively is now official. A new survey out today, published by the Bikes Belong Coalition (an industry group comprised of shops and manufacturers), shows many bicycle retailers are doing very well this year and most think it’s because of high gas prices:

This is great news; let’s hope the trend continues.

View the survey results →

Photo © Mike Flanigan

Mike Flanigan of A.N.T. was recently featured on NPR’s Marketplace in a piece titled Can’t afford gas? Try a ‘commuter bike’. Check it out here.

Quality Bicycle Parts (QBP) is the largest distributor of bicycle parts and accessories in the industry. Many of the parts and accessories on the shelves in your local bike shop were probably ordered from QBP, yet interestingly, very few people have heard of them. QBP also owns the Surly, Civia, and Salsa bicycle brands; if you ride a Surly, Civia, or Salsa bicycle, you’re riding a QBP product.

Dirt Rag magazine recently published an interview with QBP founder Steve Flagg. Since QBP is such a powerhouse in the industry, but very few people have heard of them, I thought my readers might be interested in the interview.

Dirt Rag interview with Steve Flagg →

Civia, makers of high-end commuter bikes, is introducing a new steel-framed model at Interbike this year. Designed as a short distance transportation bike, it will have an increased load carrying capacity with front and rear racks as standard equipment. The frame geometry and ergonomics will be more relaxed than their flagship Hyland model (pictured above), but it will sport similar integrated, design-specific componentry. The new model will be available in both 3spd and 9spd specs with prices ranging from $1300-$1700. It’s targeted to hit stores in May 2009.

Specs
Wheel Base: 26″
Frame Geometry: Relaxed
Frame Material: Steel
Fenders: Yes
Rack: Rear and Front
Brakes: Disc
Hubs: Internal Gear

Visit the Civia website →

[I should have more detailed specs (and hopefully photos) in late September. —Alan]

Photo © Vik Banerjee

Vik over at the Tikit to Ride blog is currently testing a prototype Bike Friday Tikit folding bike with an 8-speed Shimano Nexus hub installed. Read all about it here.

Smart Planet has posted a quick review of 5 folding bikes. It’s a bit of an odd mix, but it’s nice to see the Mezzo D-10 and Brompton M3L included. As is typical in these shootouts, the Brommie came out on top.

Read the review →

Panasonic is introducing a hybrid hp/electric bicycle that uses braking energy to charge a 10Ah Li-ion secondary battery. In testing, Panasonic found the electric motor extended the bicycle’s range by 25 miles (I don’t know how they arrived at that number but I’m assuming it depends upon how much work the cyclist does). For now the Vivi RX 10-S will only be available in Japan.

[via Gizmodo]

Princeton Tec has a new tail light dubbed the “Swerve” that is designed to compete with the popular Planet Bike Superflash. It features two high-powered LEDs (one with a diffused beam, the other with a focused beam), and two modes (one steady and one flash). It comes with a versatile mount that works on a fork, handlebar, seatstay, or seatpost, and it has a built-in clip for mounting on a helmet, jersey, or seat bag.

The Swerve, with its pair of 0.5 watt LEDS, should be brighter than the Superflash. I’ve seen side-by-side video beam shots comparing the two and it appears the baseline output of the Swerve may be brighter, but the strobe flash of the Superflash is definitely more eye-catching and intense. It just goes to show that there’s more to a light than numbers on a spec sheet. I was planning on picking up a Swerve, but after seeing the beam shots, I think I’ll stick with my Superflash for now. At $24.95 the Swerve is a great deal and a viable alternative, but it doesn’t look like Planet Bike has too much to worry about quite yet.

Trek’s Go By Bike Challenge is now underway. Participating is simple:

1. Go to the Trek 1 World 2 Wheels Website.
2. Calculate your weekly mileage.
3. Pledge your miles.
4. Register to win a Trek 7.2 FX.

Trek is giving away one 7.2 FX bike per day through August 31st. All you have to do is pledge and enter to win.

Click here to enter (or follow the above link).

Photo © Mike Flanigan

This is the 2008 Light Roadster from A.N.T. Mike Flanigan of A.N.T. calls it “…the best all round bike I have come up with.” I really like the looks of this bike. To my eye it exudes a particularly attractive understated elegance; a perfect blend of old and new. If I was in the market for a custom bike, an A.N.T. roadster would be on my short list.

There’s a more colorful version of this model in antbike’s photostream.

Pashley recently launched a new website dedicated solely to their Guv’nor path racer.

View the Site →

Cateye just announced the availability of their new “Uno” headlight. This looks like a fantastic little LED light that should make a great backup or “be seen” light. Specs as follows:

• Flashing and constant modes
• 60  hours run time in flashing mode
• 15 hours run time in constant mode
• Runs on 1 AA battery (included)
• Water resistant
• 400 Candlepower

Prior to the Uno coming out, my favorite backup headlight was the Cateye EL-410. The Uno is over twice as bright and runs on one AA battery instead of the EL-410’s three AAA batteries. Gotta’ love the ever-greater efficiency we’re seeing with modern LED emitters.

Randy Schlitter from RANS sent me this preliminary report on the Ride and Carry (RAC) cargo system under development for RANS crank forward bikes.

Production should begin in a few weeks with a target price of $375 and some interesting features:

• Bags remove easy and fit on either side.
• Sides have net pockets and double small pockets for reaching down on a single to grab items like keys, phone, wallet.
• There is an oversized load flap that secures the load when an item or item extend above the bag volume.
• Reflectors, grab handles abound.
• The system will include an insulated bag big enough for a gallon of milk.
• They are hoping for a weight capacity in the 75 pound range. Will confirm with more testing.
• The rack itself is made of 1″ aircraft aluminum tubing, has two settings for installing on both geometries of their CF’s.
• They will be available in many colors with complimenting or contrasting trims, and are home-sewn in heavy Cordura at the RANS factory. All made in the USA.

If you have questions, ask away in the comment section below as I know Randy drops in here and I’m sure he’d be happy to provide answers.

This interesting Globe concept hybrid bike was spotted in the lobby at Specialized Bicycles headquarters, in Morgan Hill, California.

[Uploaded to flickr by hugojcardoso]

Photo © Mike Flanigan

Mike Flanigan over at A.N.T. makes some of the most attractive utility bikes around (his Light Roadsters are absolutely stunning). Here’s a statement about his building philosophy:

The other day he put his money where his mouth is by delivering a recently completed bike to a customer by towing it on a cargo trailer behind his bike. There’s something particularly cool about a builder delivering a handmade bike by towing it behind another handmade bike. To put icing on the cake, the trailer used to deliver the bike was rescued from a dumpster. Love it.

I keep hearing how well the industry is doing, how high gas prices are fueling high bike sales. In Portland, bike sales are so through the roof that Clever Cycles is closing their business for two weeks during the peak of cycling season because they’re out of almost all of their primary products and can’t restock fast enough! Not a bad problem to have!

From the Clever Cycles Blog:

Read the full post at the Clever Cycles Blog.